JAMES: INTRODUCTION TO THE LITERARY STRUCTURE

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The teachings in this epistle have been called the closest thing in the NT to the wisdom literature of the OT, especially the Book of Proverbs. This letter resembles Proverbs in one other respect: both are composed of a seeming jumble of themes. Ideas are introduced, abandoned, and then resurrected in an apparently random fashion. Numerous examples from the scholarly literature can be cited to support the contention that the epistle is a miscellany.

Countering these opinions is the literary skill with which James has composed his individual literary units using devices such as catchwords, alliteration, and vivid imagery. A number of commentators have attempted to search for an overarching structure to the epistle but have run afoul of several problem passages perceptively identified by Luke Timothy Johnson, namely “the disjointed appearance of 1:1-27 together with the isolated verses such as 4:11-12, 5:12, and 5:19-20.” The present work has addressed these difficulties by recognizing that (a) 1:1-27 is not a discrete unit and (b) the other quoted passages are.

The starting point for sorting out the various literary units within James is to consider the repeated (fifteen times) use of “brethren” as an address to begin a new thought. Also, at three points in the epistle, questions containing the phrase “among you” seem to open new sections:

        “Who is wise...among you?” (3:13)

        “What causes wars...among you?” (4:1)

        “Is any among you suffering...?” (5:13)

To these verbal markers can be added the parallel addresses to the arrogant and wealthy:

        “Come now, you who say...” (4:13)

        “Come now, you rich...” (5:1)

With these openings to work with, as well as the extreme shifts of subject matter that occur throughout the letter, it is not difficult to divide it into over twenty widely accepted literary units. Some scholars have attempted to further group these smaller units into larger sections with common themes. Consensus is much weaker at this point.

A number of overall outlines have been proposed for the book, several of which have been conveniently summarized by Scot McKnight.  Of these, only a few contain segments that could be called symmetrical. More elaborate schemes usually treat all or part of the first chapter as an introduction providing the key to the order of subjects in the remainder of the letter. Most of these schemes have led to structures that appear rather muddled when plotted.

The present proposal is accomplished partially by recognition that there is a sub-theme of judgment running throughout the epistle. More importantly, the book is viewed as an extended treatise followed by a much shorter summary, rather than treating it as a brief introduction followed by an extended body. It is interesting to note that the proposal below is partially confirmed in its major divisions by recent rhetorical analysis dividing James into three major parts: 1:2-18, 1:19-5:6 and 5:7-20.

  The Structure of James

I. Reliance on God (1:2-18)

    A. Trials Lead to Completion (1:2-4)

        B. Asking of God (1:5-8)

            C. Riches (1:9-11)

    A'. Trials Lead to Death (1:12-15)

        B'. Receiving from God (1:16-18)

                II. Living the Faith (1:19-3:12)

                    A. The Tongue and Works (1:19-27)

                        1. The Tongue (1:19-21)

                            2. Doers/Hearers (1:22-25)

                        1'. The Tongue (1:26-27)

                                B. No Partiality (2:1-13)

                A'. The Tongue and Works (2:14-3:12)

                    1. The Tongue (2:14-17)

                        2. Faith/Works (2:18-26)

                    1'. The Tongue (3:1-12)

III. The Spiritual Life: Part 1 (3:13-5:6)

    A. The Righteous (3:13-4:10)

                                                                                                        1. Peace (3:13-18)

                                                                                                            2. Humility (4:1-10)

                                                                                                                B. Judging (4:11-12)

                                                                                                    A'. The Unrighteous (4:13-5:6)

                                                                                                            2. Arrogance (4:13-17)

                                                                                                        1. Discord (5:1-6)

                                                                                                III'. The Spiritual Life: Part 2 (5:7-11)

                                                                                                    A. Patience (5:7-8)

                                                                                                                B. Judging (5:9)

                                                                                                    A'. Patience (5:10-11)

                           II'. The Tongue (5:12)

    I'. Reliance on God (5:13-20)

            B. Prayer (5:13-18)

        A. Saving a Sinner (5:19-20)

Overall Theme to James’ Letter

As Johnson perceptively notes, disproportionate attention over the years has been given to the verses in James dealing with the subject of faith and works. If this is not the overriding concerns of James, what is? Here commentators have yet to reach anything approaching a consensus. Various major themes have been suggested, not surprising in a letter as diverse in subject matter as the one under consideration. It is hoped that structural analysis can shed some light on this area.

The structure shown above is a chiasm without a center, which usually means that the opening and closing verses exert more than their proportionate weight. This fact alone would seem to support those who see faith and/or patience as the theme. However, in addition to this emphasis, there is an obvious continuity to the themes of the various center elements (shown in bold) that occur throughout the letter. There is thus good evidence to suggest that judging and judgment may form the “hidden” sub-themes for the entire epistle. These are not elements usually highlighted by students of James and appear, for example, in neither the ten key themes discussed by Adamson nor the seven areas of James’ theology featured in Davids’ commentary. However, these twin subject are prominently featured in the center units of sections I, II, III and III'. Related Greek words appear a total of twelve times in these key passages and nowhere else in the text of James’ epistle. The literary structure of the letter is thus used to draw attention to the blatant contrast between the injustices of mankind and the righteous actions of the coming Judge.

The theme of God’s judgment in passages such as 2:12, 4:11-12 and 5:9 “is made more explicit as the composition progresses.” (Johnson)  If one adds the fourth, and most subtle, judgment passage to this list, then the following progression can be spelled out:

    a. Our perceptions of human worth are based, to a large extent, on present economic status (1:9-11).

    b. These flawed perceptions cause us to favor the rich and thus to ignore the poor in our midst (2:1-13).

    c. We may even go so far as to speak evil of our fellow Christian and judge him through our egocentric viewpoint, forgetting that only God is in a position to judge others (4:11-12).

    d. Those who act in this manner are in jeopardy since, in Davids’ words, “The coming Lord is also the judge of the Christian.” (5:9)